Obama Phones Netanyahu, Morsi

U.S. President Barack Obama made phone calls to Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi Thursday, among other world leaders, in the President's first round of diplomatic talks after his re-election.

Netanyahu congratulated Obama on his re-election. The Prime Minister said it was "a vote of confidence in your leadership."

According to the Prime Minister's Office, Netanyahu said "he looked forward to continuing to work with the President to address the great challenges facing the U.S. and Israel and to advance peace and security in our region."

Obama's re-election is viewed with trepidation by Israeli nationalists, because of Obama's perceived hostility toward the Jewish state. However, some analysts saw a silver lining in his re-election, saying that it could be exactly the kind of push Israel needs in order to be less dependent on the U.S., psychologically and in other ways. A senior writer in Makor Rishon opined that if push comes to shove in the Persian Gulf, Obama's coldness could be precisely what makes him more effective as a commander-in-chief in a strike on Iran.